bayedsolid Chapter 159 Academy
Chapter 159 Academy
The more chaotic the Marquis of Zhongxin's residence becomes, the greater the possibility that he and Zisu will be together!
Consort Qin, however, was not pleased. She still looked down on Zisu, disliking her past exile. She desperately wanted Fang Heng to marry Zisu, so that she could marry her son into a truly noble family!
Sigh, that silly boy Hao'er, why is he so stubborn? There are so many good girls in the capital, why does he only have his eye on Princess Yulin? What's so good about her? She's so restless, always going here and there, and even leading some business ventures. She's nothing like a well-behaved girl.
Whoever marries such a restless daughter-in-law is doomed!
During this time, Prince Duan was very idle, spending one day at Qinyuan Garden and the next day at the Prince's Mansion. He was cheerful all day long, as if he had found a gold ingot.
Unable to contain herself any longer, Consort Qin asked, "Hao'er, what is it that makes you so happy? Tell your mother!"
Prince Duan: "Mother, nothing's wrong, I'm just in a good mood!"
Consort Qin curled her lip: "In my opinion, you're probably doing this because of the ridicule the Marquis of Zhongxin is being mocked, right? Do you think the more chaotic the Marquis of Zhongxin's household is, the greater the chance you'll be with Princess Yulin?"
Prince Duan said in surprise, "Oh my, Mother, how come I didn't know you were so amazing? You even guessed this! That's right, the more chaotic the Marquis of Zhongxin's mansion becomes, the more Zisu's heart will lean towards my side. This is naturally something to be happy about!"
Consort Qin couldn't help but sigh: "My child, can you not be so stubborn? Can you not just focus on Princess Yulin? There are so many good girls in the capital. Take a look at them, and you'll find that many of them are actually better than Princess Yulin!"
Prince Duan: "Oh, Mother, you haven't met Princess Yulin, so you don't know how wonderful she is! If she weren't exceptionally good, why would I care about her so much?"
Consort Qin: "But she's always running around and leading business ventures; she doesn't act like a proper young lady at all. What family would want a daughter-in-law like her, who's acting so crazy? To be honest, the thought of you marrying her makes my scalp tingle!"
Prince Duan: "Mother, you're being too stubborn. Zisu isn't running around everywhere or acting crazy. Wuliping is her hometown, the place she's lived for several years. She has feelings for that place and wants to help the people of her hometown become prosperous. Is that wrong?"
Consort Qin: "You, you, every time I talk to her, you talk back to me. Helping the hometown become prosperous is a man's business. Why should a woman like her meddle in so many other things? A woman should stay at home and take care of her husband and children. You probably can't find another woman like her in the whole of Xiliang!"
Prince Duan: "Mother is right. Princess Yulin is unparalleled in the world. There has only been one woman in thousands of years who has made such great contributions to the country! Why did the Emperor bestow the title of Princess Yulin upon her? It is precisely because she has made such great contributions to the country and saved tens of thousands of poor people."
"Mother, my imperial uncle has already agreed to let me marry Princess Yulin. Furthermore, he's agreed that I won't take any concubines, secondary consorts, or maids! If my imperial uncle approves, could Mother possibly have any complaints? If Mother has any objections to my imperial uncle, then go and tell him. In any case, I'm determined to marry no one but Princess Yulin in this lifetime!"
Consort Qin was enraged by her son's words: "You unfilial son, do you think I really wouldn't dare to go to the Emperor? Do you believe me? Not only would I dare to go to the Emperor and change his mind, but I would also dare to take drastic measures against the Protector General?"
Upon hearing this, Prince Duan was also greatly angered: "Mother, the Protector General is my savior. If you dare to lay a finger on him, you can disown me as your son! From now on, I will not acknowledge you as my mother! I mean what I say. There must be a bottom line to a person's conduct. One cannot act recklessly!"
After hearing her son's harsh words, Consort Qin calmed down a bit and remained silent.
Prince Duan looked at his mother with a stern face: "Mother, I mean what I say. If you remain obstinate, I will never return to this home! For the rest of your life, just wait for Lu's son to drive you out of the Prince's mansion! You know why the Emperor values me so much? If you force me to flee to the ends of the earth, do you think the Emperor will still protect you, or the Prince Duan's mansion? If that day truly comes, I'm afraid even the Prince Duan's mansion will cease to exist and will be taken back by the Emperor!"
Upon hearing this, Consort Qin's face turned pale, and she hurriedly said, "Look at you, you're getting so anxious! I was just saying it, I wouldn't actually do it! The Protector General is a great hero of the Western Liang Kingdom and your savior, of course I know that, I wouldn't do anything to him!"
This son has been raised in vain. For the sake of a princess of Yulin, he dares to be so cruel to his own mother. Consort Qin couldn't help but feel heartbroken.
"I won't be coming back for the next few days. Mother, take care of yourself!" After saying this, Prince Duan turned and left, ignoring the Empress Dowager Qin's desperate calls for him.
This mother won't wake up unless she's taught a lesson. Every time someone treats her a little better, she gets dizzy and starts having all sorts of foolish thoughts again.
Alas, Father, if you were still here, I wouldn't be so weary! Father, I finally understand why you neglected Mother, *Ailü Shi. One shouldn't be too kind to Mother.
The old clan chief gathered fifty able-bodied men from the entire village and another hundred from several nearby villages, and they worked overtime to build the academy. It was completed in just three months.
The academy was named Wuliping Academy, and consisted of five small two-story buildings with blue bricks and black tiles. The first, second, and third buildings were in the east section and were the boys' academy. The first and second buildings were classrooms, and the third building was the dormitory for male students and male teachers. The fourth and fifth buildings were in the west section and were the girls' academy. The fourth building was classrooms, and the fifth building was the dormitory for female teachers and female students.
The boys' academy was divided into five classes: the beginner class, the preparatory class, the county-level scholar class, the provincial-level scholar class, and the imperial examination class. As the names suggest, the preparatory class was for students preparing to take the county-level scholar examination, the county-level scholar class was for students preparing to take the county-level scholar examination, and so on.
The girls' academy is not simple either, as it is divided into several classes: introductory class, needlework class, cooking class, and music, chess, calligraphy and painting class.
In addition, both the boys' college and the girls' college have introduced a brand new subject: accounting class, or rather, bookkeeping class.
A wall was built between the boys' and girls' colleges, each with its own entrance, ensuring they did not interfere with each other. Even the guards and cooks were independent. Only at the annual graduation party would the students from both colleges gather in the boys' college's main square to celebrate together.
At the graduation gala, exceptionally talented students will appear on the stage to showcase their abilities to the faculty and students. The academy will also award these students "Excellent Student" certificates and various material rewards.
This was Zisu's idea in the proposal, which won the strong support of the Eldest Princess, Prince Duan, and the old clan chief. And these ideas originated from what Zisu saw in her dream.
One hundred copies of the enrollment brochure were made and posted in every village within a ten-mile radius of Wuliping. In the capital, a copy was also posted in every alley, lane, school, private school, main street, large restaurant, inn, clinic, and government office to spread the word.
The number of students who signed up was no less than three thousand.
Because there were too many people, Zisu discussed with the Eldest Princess, Prince Duan, and the old clan chief: "How about we have an interview and a competition? We can interview the beginners, but the other classes must have interviews and competitions. If we interview them, we can eliminate those who look restless. What do you all think?"
Prince Duan: "I think it's acceptable, especially for students from the Juren and Jinshi classes. It's best not to accept any students with poor character."
The old clan chief was perplexed: "How can one tell whether a person's character is good or bad?"
Zisu: "That's easy. Those with shifty eyes and monkey-like faces can be eliminated! Also, those who are glib and obviously drained by alcohol and women must be excluded. In addition, those who are too arrogant and too aloof can also be excluded!"
The eldest princess said, "Yes, Zisu is right. Let's do it this way. I have no objections!" Subconsciously, she regarded Zisu as an adult and did not pay attention to the words she had said earlier, "a person who has been drained by wine and women."
Although the old clan chief and Prince Duan felt a little uncomfortable, they didn't care too much, because Zisu spoke with a serious and earnest tone. When discussing important matters, there was no need for such formalities.
Both of them agreed with Zisu's suggestion.
Prince Duan added, "I will send people to investigate each of those who passed the provincial and metropolitan examinations to ensure they are of good character before officially admitting them!"
Zisu: "That's good. That way, we can ensure that the scholars and officials who graduate from Wuliping Academy are all pillars of society with good character! Otherwise, if someone we recruit into the academy is morally corrupt and does something harmful to the people and the country, it will damage the academy's reputation and be far removed from our original intention in establishing the academy!"
The Eldest Princess said, "Zisu is absolutely right. Our original intention in establishing the academy was to educate people and cultivate talents who are useful to the country and the people. If the people who graduate from the academy become corrupt officials or cruel bureaucrats, that would be terrible!"
The old clan chief said, "Yes, what you all said is very good!"
Once the charter was finalized, the next step was the interview.
The first round of interviews eliminated about a thousand people, meaning about 30% failed. Some of those who were eliminated were determined to cause trouble: "Why? It's not like we're choosing a son-in-law, why are we being so strict? Why am I unqualified? Today, if you don't give me a clear explanation, I'm not leaving!"
Before he finished speaking, Prince Duan strode over.
"Shut up! This is an academy I invested in. I can choose who I want to admit and who I don't want to admit. It's none of your business to tell me what to do!" Prince Duan swept a sharp look over them, and the people shrank back in fear and obediently left.
Next came the written test.
Of the approximately two thousand people, over fourteen hundred were eliminated.
Fifty or sixty of them attempted to cheat and were ruthlessly expelled. The remaining five hundred or so were mostly children from the introductory classes and villages near Wuliping. The admission criteria for the introductory classes were much more lenient; as long as the children weren't of extremely bad character, they were generally accepted.
There were three hundred children in the introductory class. The reason so many children enrolled was because the tuition and fees for the introductory class at Wuliping Academy were very low, only five taels of silver a year, even lower than the tuition and fees of village-run private schools. The tuition and fees for village-run private schools were about six taels of silver a year, in addition to various gifts for the teacher during festivals, which would also cost two or three taels of silver. However, at Wuliping Academy, students were exempt from paying festival gifts to the teacher; this was a rule of the academy, and teachers were not allowed to accept festival gifts from students.
With low tuition and a good learning environment, it's no wonder that parents from surrounding villages are willing to send their children to Wuliping Academy for their early education. After all, farm children only plan to attend school for two or three years. If they do well, they might try their luck and pass the imperial examinations for the lowest degree (like the xiancai or xiucai). Most children just learn a few characters, enough to avoid becoming illiterate.
The class for students admitted to the lowest level of the imperial examinations consisted of 100 students; the class for students admitted to the lowest level of the imperial examinations consisted of 50 students; the class for students admitted to the highest level of the imperial examinations consisted of 35 students; and the class for students admitted to the highest level of the imperial examinations consisted of 30 students.
Zisu nodded and smiled: "Yes, I think this number is just right!"
Prince Duan: "That's right. Quality is more important than quantity. These thirty people in the Jinshi class all have a good foundation. If they are properly trained, at least fifteen of them will enter the second class if there are no unexpected events."
Zisu: "Unfortunately, many people are too weak physically and their mental fortitude may be lacking. I suggest that the students of the academy run for 15 minutes every morning, have a physical education class every three days, and take two days off after every seven days of classes."
The old clan chief said, "But other academies only have two days off after half a month of classes."
Zisu: "Sixth Grandfather, studying requires a balance of work and rest, otherwise the results won't be good. Studying should be flexible; rote memorization is useless!"
Prince Duan said, "Alright, let's do as the princess wishes!"
Princess: "Yes, I agree!"
---My tooth is killing me; I haven't had a moment's peace all day. Still asking for monthly votes, don't let others catch up! Thanks!